I’m a sucker for a bargain

I run 125 foot of 2/0 ultraflex on each, and a 25 foot whip made of 1 ga i think. A bit long, but that way i won't feel bad about trimming them back so they'll last and my machine can push enough to get away with it. They require 100 foot min when you pipeline, but the less lead you use the better it works because lead is resistance so it's lowering the voltage. The old sa 200s were 40 volt machines too, which is far higher than what is typically found in an inverter, so they tolerate more lead with less negative effects. I have a remote that is run on an extension cord (100 foot 12 ga, probably should use 10), and even that size matters since that's the control voltage.

If you're just working in your garage a couple 25 foot leads of 1 ga would likely be fine. I run tweco quick connects, only way to go since you can change connections in seconds making stuff easier to move. Then you can get chunks of lead with a male and female ends to lengthen as needed down the line. For your whip (the one you hold to weld with) the smaller diameter is nicer to hold, and if you want the best the ultraflex is like rope it's so flexible, which makes all the difference in the world for comfort if you're doing it all day. Inverters don't have voltage to spare, so a longer extension cord is honestly a viable alternate around the house unless you're working in a bunch of wet mud.
 
Tree09 said:
I run 125 foot of 2/0 ultraflex on each, and a 25 foot whip made of 1 ga i think. A bit long, but that way i won't feel bad about trimming them back so they'll last and my machine can push enough to get away with it. They require 100 foot min when you pipeline, but the less lead you use the better it works because lead is resistance so it's lowering the voltage. The old sa 200s were 40 volt machines too, which is far higher than what is typically found in an inverter, so they tolerate more lead with less negative effects. I have a remote that is run on an extension cord (100 foot 12 ga, probably should use 10), and even that size matters since that's the control voltage.

If you're just working in your garage a couple 25 foot leads of 1 ga would likely be fine. I run tweco quick connects, only way to go since you can change connections in seconds making stuff easier to move. Then you can get chunks of lead with a male and female ends to lengthen as needed down the line. For your whip (the one you hold to weld with) the smaller diameter is nicer to hold, and if you want the best the ultraflex is like rope it's so flexible, which makes all the difference in the world for comfort if you're doing it all day. Inverters don't have voltage to spare, so a longer extension cord is honestly a viable alternate around the house unless you're working in a bunch of wet mud.
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ok, 2/0 ultraflex, been eying it up
ive found on my inverter machine an extension cord affects the output a HUGE ammount
say its pulling 20 amps, but outputting 200, a one amp difference on what it can input it a 10 amp output difference, heavy cable on the low voltage side would be less difference id think
gonna need atleast 50ft, if I plug my chord in by the shop door, I get about 50ft from the shop door to where im welding, having atleast 100ft would be nice
BUT for the money and since im not doing pipe, I may as well just make another extension cord, then atleast if im close to the shop I can run my plasma cutter next to the welder, just have to move another outlet in the shop to run both lol
or make a 240v Y splitter, and keep my outlets in the shop
 
ouch, $10 a foot for the ultraflex, for that price id rather just buy an old SA200 to drag around with my skidsteer instead of carrying my inverter machine around
 
If you did that you wouldn't fight stick welding nearly as much! Remember a new machine comparable to an sa 200 is over 25k now, and will weld dramatically better than an inverter of any make. One product is made to meet a price point, the other is made to weld xray pipe all day everyday for decades, not even remotely comparable. With work going gangbusters pretty much everywhere right now is definitely not the time to try to buy lead. Ultraflex is what i run on my pipeline rig, but I'm making that kind of money when I'm doing that i can justify it. If i were you i would scour Craigslist or similar and get used lead, it works the same just isn't quite as nice to coil up. At work they only buy regular lead because it's less costly, I've pretty much only seen ultraflex on personal pipeline rigs where the guys understand the difference since they're doing the work and making enough money to cover it.
 
Tree09 said:
If you did that you wouldn't fight stick welding nearly as much!
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I imagine running around 40 volts instead of like 18 would make a big difference in arc starts? my stick welding sure is "stick" welding below 90 amps or so, 100 if im on an extension cord
sucks running 1/8" 6011 on thin stuff at 125 amps to keep the rod burning
I do suppose, the inverter machines are limited by wall power and electronics, the old engine drives arent nearly as limited, lose some features like "dig" or "hot start" but if you are a decent welder I can see how one would get very good at working around that
 
I will say tho, even on my baby welder the cheapo "berger" cast brass ground clamp from hobo freight is really nice for $16, huge upgrade from the cheap stamped steel one the welder came with
also, I made one of these out of battery cable (3 cables stripped and braided), not been able to try it yet BUT it seems like its going to be amazing once I finally do need it

 
WoodCutr said:
I imagine running around 40 volts instead of like 18 would make a big difference in arc starts? my stick welding sure is "stick" welding below 90 amps or so, 100 if im on an extension cord
sucks running 1/8" 6011 on thin stuff at 125 amps to keep the rod burning
I do suppose, the inverter machines are limited by wall power and electronics, the old engine drives arent nearly as limited, lose some features like "dig" or "hot start" but if you are a decent welder I can see how one would get very good at working around that
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On thin stuff run your 6011 on straight polarity and see how ya like it.
 
BlackSmith said:
On thin stuff run your 6011 on straight polarity and see how ya like it.
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never thought to try that for thin stuff
I tried it on some 1/4" and didnt like it, but I suppose needing it vs trying it is 2 different things
ever run it like that for vertical? rare that I do real thin stuff that I dont use FCAW, but stuff 1/8" and less I consider "thin", always had issues on vertical MIG or stick, so I turn it down and it dont like to weld, maybe I just need practice

need is the mother of invention or something like that ive heard
I remember the one rod I burned on straight polarity It seemed to burn MUCH faster, since its putting hear in the rod more than the base metal I guess, im no expert, just make things when I need them
 
Just on thin stuff, 1/4 isn’t thin enough for — polarity. Practice makes perfect or something like that. Try some 3/32. You will have enough heat to run without running so hot you’ll burn through. “Sometimes” there’s so many variables going on that the only way to sort it out is by doing. While I stress a formal welding class to learn the basics there’s so much you’ll only learn from experience.
 
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BlackSmith said:
Just on thin stuff, 1/4 isn’t thin enough for — polarity. Practice makes perfect or something like that. Try some 3/32. You will have enough heat to run without running so hot you’ll burn through. “Sometimes” there’s so many variables going on that the only to sort it out is by doing. While I stress a formal welding class to learn the basics there’s so much you’ll only learn from experience.
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makes sense, next time im in home depot im going to grab a few boxes of lincoln 6011 and 7018, 3/32 if they have any, all I have right now is the 1/8" 6011 vulcan rods I bought with my welder, dont like them a whole lot but they do infact work
I can weld flux core half decent enough, good enough for a winch mount on my chipper (DIY, installed the whole 10K winch and custom mount myself, aint broke yet)
already tested the fairlead with a 6-7K side pull literally dragging my chipper, pulling in the weakest possible direction on everything and it held so id say its good enough, my stick welding does need work tho
 
An sa 200 is 2 copper wound dc generators, one powers the other, and they both put out a constant dc arc. A long time ago they used an ac motor to spin a dc generator, this is the r2d2 machines and the old sae shop machines. That obviously eats electricity like no other, so they then went to the transformer with transitor diodes to convert main power to dc. This of course leaves little bumps in the output (and still is relatively inefficient), so they went to inverters with mosfets as the filters. They also bump the frequency up around 20k so the bumps become really small.

This is all fine and dandy, but it means that since they hold the open circuit voltage to 80 for safety you only typically have 20 to 30 volts across the arc. That will run 7018 well enough, but your cellulose rods won't have the voltage to burn right. Your higher end machines have adjustable inductance to help shape the arc to combat this, these try to emulate the drooping arc curve (voltage x amps) that the dc generator naturally did, turning the dig up changes the slope, meaning when you long arc it drops amperage and when you crowd it the amperage spikes up. The old school machines have different ranges or taps across the main coil, and the fine tuning is done by a rheostat controlling the smaller generator's voltage to the main coils. So the more you turn down on a dc generator the more it digs, so the machine is actively working to keep your rod lit up.

This lack of voltage and inductance is why machines that plug in the wall usually suck at stick. On single phase you simply don't have enough energy to really weld properly unless you are pulling ridiculous amps, so that's why i usually recommend going with an engine drive. An sa200 has a 40 hp water cooled tractor engine pushing it, even with all the inefficiencies it will put out almost 300 amps peak and 200 no problem. You're around 180 on a 3/16 8010, or a 5/32 7018, so it's got enough balls to get stuff done and not burn up. If you wanna go faster you'll need an even bigger machine, the newer diesels are all 300 amps plus so you can push .045 dual shield pretty much wide open.

Only buy Lincoln or esab rods, the difference in quality compared to a radnor or Vulcan China crap is staggering. Stick welding is harder to do, but mainly because everyone is trying to do it with crappy machines. Just about every welding code has gone to low hydrogen electrodes anyways, and since inverters run those just fine it's almost all you see anymore. They also have finally have developed the circuitry to emulate an actual dc machine well enough that even the pipeline machines are switching to an inverter powered by a huge ac generator, which is why most machines now have 12k of auxiliary power.
 
Here's kind of a lame deal I just got from amazon, four kinda strong biners, and 8 toy biners for $6. Seller limits one set per order. I got them(the four strong) for very light rigging. Chinese, but if they're even half as strong as they say, it'll be sufficient, and little biners are useful for all kinds of stuff. Cheaper than harborfreight.

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https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08T25MHQH/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
I'm not sure how many of you are aware, but if you shop at WesSpur (my personal favorite vendor), you may know about the "Clearance Rope" section that they have. I've been keeping an eye on it for about a week now, waiting for a good deal on a super static line and today I noticed that they had 50 feet of Teufelberger Xstatic for under $40. Normally you pay close to $1.60/foot, and I specifically needed a shorter rope so that I won't have to always tow my 200' Drenaline everywhere and I know this will work well with my Rope Runner Pro also. Needless to say, I jumped on that and ordered it and paid $18 to get a sewn tight eye on one end. Great for MRS and other light hauling applications. Yeah yeah, I know, you're not supposed to haul/rig on your climbing lines, but the stuff I'm doing with it would just be for demonstration purposes. Anyways, I don't need to explain myself to you! haha I'm rambling now.

Here is the link to this section. They have everything organized by length in feet (imagine that). Only took a week of waiting and I found exactly what I needed on the cheap!

Clearance Rope: 51' Arbor Plex 5/8"

Our clearance arborist ropes are odd lengths of brand new ropes ranging from 10 - 100 feet or longer! First come, first served!
www.wesspur.com www.wesspur.com
 
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I love their clearance rope section. That's where I first became aware promaster came in ⅜". It was gone before I decided to get it, but my next order will have some in it whether or not it's clearance. It'll be a saw lanyard. I've gotten a fair amount of stuff there, That where my bifröst bridge came from.
 
lxskllr said:
I love their clearance rope section. That's where I first became aware promaster came in ⅜". It was gone before I decided to get it, but my next order will have some in it whether or not it's clearance. It'll be a saw lanyard. I've gotten a fair amount of stuff there, That where my bifröst bridge came from.
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IMO, you should add a breakable link somewhere. Could just be a zip tie at the harness- end, allowing a girth hitch instead of another metal connector on your saddle.
A weak key-biner is ok, too.
 
Yea, I'll do something. I've got plenty of toy biners now. BTW, the "deal" I posted above is still selling for the same price. It's not a very exciting deal, but this price is cheap for fairly useful items. The strongish biners seem to be made pretty well, and the toy biners are typical Chinese toy biners, but handy to have around. I wanted the strongish ones for lowering small branches. Would also be good for speedlining small stuff. It's almost half what what four Chinese strongish biners cost, and the toy biners are all bonus items.
 
This is a very time sensitive deal. I just ordered a Chinese knockoff of the Granberg edging mill for $43. For the next 3.5hr it's marked down from $61. I feel a little guilty about buying a Chinese knockoff, and the quality may be trash, but I could really use it right now, and can't justify $160 for the Granberg.

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https://www.amazon.com/PLAIRC-G555B-Edging-Mill-Chainsaw/dp/B09ZQLLWF6/ref=sr_1_26?crid=3H1T1B617PXMD&keywords=chainsaw+mill&qid=1681261428&sprefix=chainsaw+mill%2Caps%2C187&sr=8-26
 
Just found a good deal (I believe) on a Notch Flow rope wrench and Notch Fusion tether combo for only $229 and plus free shipping even if you don't have Prime, I believe. I've been looking into buying a rope wrench device for a long time and as a hitch connoisseur, it was the obvious next step for upping my hitch testing game. I'm pretty stoked. It will arrive on the 24th.

 
Hey everyone. I just wanted you all to be made aware that on both TreeStuff and Wesspur, on days that you're placing an order where you don't have any coupon codes, just use the code "ARBORIST" and you'll get a quick 2.5-5% off, depending on which site you're using. For a $100 order, this may only save you a few bucks, but if you were to be making a much larger purchase, then this could actually really benefit you quite a lot. I have no idea how many other people know this, but I thought I would share that knowledge with all of you! Happy savings!
 
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